This is a list of books that I am personally finding helpful so far and wanted to share. This is absolutely by no means an inclusive list, or a list of “doing it right.” It is just a list of possibilities. By subject:

Some of this will depend where you ended your Medieval Block of sixth grade. There are so many, many resources, so this is just a sampling.

In the summer between sixth and seventh grades, consider reading any of the following: A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver; The Hidden Treasure of Glaston; or Avi’s Crispin, Cross of Lead

The Magna Charta by James Dougherty

Books about Joan of Arc, Genghis Khan, Marco Polo

The World Awakes: The Renaissance in Western Europe by Polly Schoyer Brooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth (used)

The Age of Discovery by Charles Kovacs (Waldorf resource)

“Trumpeter of Krakow” by Eric P. Kelley

Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His LIfe and His Ideas by Janis Herbert

“Leonard: Beautiful Dreamer: by Robert Byrd

“Michelangelo” by Diane Stanley

“Good Queen Bess” by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema

Spelling and Grammar:

At this point, most of the families I know are using a mainstream program to supplement. I would probably wait on a vocabulary book until eighth grade like many of the Waldorf Schools do, but that is, of course, up to you. I don’t have any particular programs to recommend as none of the mainstream programs have bowled me over.

“An English Manual” by Dorothy Harrer

Wish, Wonder, Surprise Writing Block:

The Art and Science of Composition by Dorit Winter

An English Manual by Dorothy Harrer

If you have girls, also try “Pens on Fire: Creative Writing Experiments for Teens from WriteGirl”

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11 thoughts on “Resources for Seventh Grade”

Hi Carrie,
I’m not up to 7th Grade yet. But I was just wondering… Do you buy all those resources yourself..all the books? Or do you tend to borrow things (like from the library). Do you find that you read them once or use them repeatedly as references throughout the year?
thanks,
Carla

Carla! Ha! I wish I could say I got everything through the library…but they certainly don’t have the Waldorf resources especially. I have three children so I create boxes for each year and save things by grade. So, I admit to library use and also frequent used book buying as a really bad habit.🙂
Blessings,
Carrie

Wow, thank you for this very comprehensive suggestion list. I know this is going to come in very handy for me in another 12 months or so when I start to think about 7th. Thanks for all your hard work and for sharing your research, Carrie!
Cathy

Hey Carrie,
Great list. I’m printing it for reference. I think I have changed my mind on the explorers since our last talk about grade 7. I think I am going to begin the year (Sept/Oct) with doing 2 explorers in depth and the corresponding geography: Marco Polo and the Silk Road (China) and Prince Henry the Navigator and the horn of Africa (Africa – obviously, lol). I love the Demi bio of Marco Polo. There is also a book called “The Animals Marco Polo Saw” by Sandra Markle that someone recommended. For Prince Henry, there is a bio by Leonard Fisher (love him!). This will also finish Medieval. I am saving the Renaissance for later in the year (maybe early winter) and end the year (April) with Colonial/Revolutionary War America. Lots of history!!! Trying to remember to go deep not wide.

I have my grade 7 resources here http://sureastheworld.com/planning/grade-7/. I hope to update them this weekend as I finally have last year’s stuff cleared from the shelves and next year’s up. It’s a big job, isn’t it??!!

Very big job and my blocks keep changing. Will let you know when I settle down and decide how I am doing things. I like your suggestions though. More books though. My husband will be thrilled! LOL. 🙂
Blessings,
Carrie

We are at the very beginning of our journey – we’ll be doing first grade with our 7y.o. and our 5yo still in Kindy. BUT, I have been wondering how Waldorf homeschooling might look in the middle grades and higher, especially when it comes to subjects that I have less knowledge in myself. So I find your post very interesting indeed. Besides, I was a teacher (of 4th and 6th grades) in my former life (i.e. pre-children), so all this talk about planning just makes me giddy!! I love it! LOL. I also love Sheila’s comment about remembering to going deeper rather than wider. I think that’s certainly relevant at every grade!

Hey Carrie,
Me again. I’m up early looking at your resources again. And NOT to add any more books to your list, BUT Leonard Fisher has a series on Colonial Craftsmen (printers, blacksmiths, shoemakers, etc). We used a series like this for medieval (don’t remember the author, but the titles were like “A Day with a Miller” “A Day with a Noblewoman”).

Have you heard of Brave Writer for Language Arts? We love, love this curriculum. I was surprised and thrilled to find this curriculum listed at waldorfinspiredlearning.com. Although I’ve only used them for grade one, so I don’t have an opinion for grade seven.

Great list, Carrie! So many good suggestions; library book sales have been a great resource for me. Samantha and all, I do love Brave Writer for Language Arts. It’s great for vocabulary, spelling and writing skills. I like to pick my books for main lessons and then also choose a book for my child to read independently that block that I “assign” starting in about fifth grade (the point at which it gets more and more difficult to get all that history in!) Brave Writer offers newsletter issues for individual book titles, and each issue has key passages for dictation or copy work, some specific aspect of writing/grammar/literary element to note, and a writing exercise. Brave Writer has lots of helpful products that in my experience are great for middle school and up. I think It’s important for us to help our children become more independent in their learning, when the time is right, a little bit at a time! One other book suggestion: Michael Faraday’s The Chemical History of a Candle – like storytelling for chemistry.